Paris, UK Delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Podgorica, British Embassy
Port Louis, British High Commission
Port of Spain, British High Commission
Prague, British Embassy
Pretoria, British High Commission
Pristina, British Embassy
Quito, British Embassy
Rabat, British Embassy
Rangoon, British Embassy
Riga, British Embassy
7 Sep 2010 : Column 469W
Rio de Janeiro, British Consulate-General
Riyadh, British Embassy
Rome, British Embassy
Sana'a, British Embassy
Santiago, British Embassy
Santo Domingo, British Embassy
Sao Paulo, British Consulate-General
Sarajevo, British Embassy
Seoul, British Embassy
Shanghai, British Consulate-General
Singapore, British High Commission
Skopje, British Embassy
Sofia, British Embassy
St Petersburg, British Consulate-General
Stockholm, British Embassy
Suva, British High Commission
Taipei, British Trade and Cultural Office
Tallinn, British Embassy
Tangier, British Consulate
Tashkent, British Embassy
Tbilisi, British Embassy
Tehran, British Embassy
Tel Aviv, British Embassy
The Hague, British Embassy
Tirana, British Embassy
Tokyo, British Embassy
Tripoli, British Embassy
Tunis, British Embassy
Ulaanbaatar, British Embassy
Vienna, British Embassy
Vienna, UK Delegation to the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe
Vienna, UK Mission to the United Nations
Vilnius, British Embassy
Warsaw, British Embassy
Washington, British Embassy
Wellington, British High Commission
Yaounde, British High Commission
Yerevan, British Embassy
Zagreb, British Embassy
The main users of the FCO overseas platform are the UK Border Agency, the Department for International Development, the Ministry of Defence, the Serious Organised Crime Agency, the British Council, HM Revenue and Customs, the Metropolitan Police and the Department for Work and Pensions.
(b) Office accommodation shared with foreign Governments can be broken down into the following three categories:
Space sublet by the FCO to foreign Governments:
Baghdad (Canadian Embassy, Danish Embassy, Delegation of the European Union to Iraq)
Chisinau (Dutch Honorary Consul)
Freetown (French Consulate)
Goma (French Diplomatic Representative)
Kabul (New Zealand Embassy)
Lashkar Gah (Delegation of the European Union to Afghanistan)
Space sublet by foreign governments to the FCO:
Antananarivo (German Embassy)
Monrovia (US Embassy)
7 Sep 2010 : Column 470W
Nouakchott (Delegation of the European Union to Mauritania)
Pyongyang (German Embassy).
Co-located office space governed by separate lease agreements, or jointly owned:
Bamako (Canadian Embassy)
Dar Es Salaam (Dutch Embassy, German Embassy, Delegation of the European Union to Tanzania)
Quito (German Embassy)
Reykjavik (German Embassy).
Matthew Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much office space per employee his Department occupied in each year since 1997. [12994]
Alistair Burt:
The space occupied per employee of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the UK for:
The information requested is not available for previous years.
Since 2008 the FCO has been improving the quality of data relating to space utilisation on the estate. Better data allow for more accurate reporting, which along with more open planning of new offices has helped bring down the amount of space occupied per person.
The nature of the two Grade I and II listed buildings in London whose internal configuration cannot easily be changed makes it difficult to secure further improvements and achieve the Government property unit's space guidelines set for the UK estate.
Departmental Consultants
Pete Wishart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible in each year since 2005. [12481]
Alistair Burt:
Consultants are used where they fulfil a business need and the skills required are not available internally. Annual expenditure on consultants at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been published each year in our annual departmental report, copies of which are available in the Library of the House and on our website. Actual consultancy expenditure in 2008-09 was £29.9 million rather then the estimated figure of £63.6 million quoted in the 2008-09 departmental report. Consultancy expenditure for 2009-2010 was £23 million.
FCO Services was established as an executive agency in 2006 and then as a trading fund in on 1 April 2008. Consultancy expenditure figures have been published separately from the FCO since 2006 and can be found in the FCO Services annual report in the notes to the accounts, available in the Library of the House and on the FCO Services website.
Wilton Park consultancy expenditure forms part of their published annual reports. Expenditure for the years they have used consultancy services was:
7 Sep 2010 : Column 471W
£
2007-08
8,612
2008-09
9,969
2009-10
12,000
British Council consultancy costs, as disclosed in the audited annual accounts, are as follows:
£
2005-06
28,000
2006-07
140,000
2007-08
148,000
2008-09
372,000
2009-10
1,066,000
The increased consultancy costs for the British Council in 2009-10 were incurred in support of the Doubling English growth programme relating to legal, local tax and other professional advice, as well as further specific international tax advice which the British Council procured in support of the establishment of the Shared Services Centre and other subsidiaries overseas.
Departmental Empty Property
Matthew Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on vacant properties in each year since 1997. [13013]
Alistair Burt:
This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Fines
Stewart Hosie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many transport-related fines his Department has settled on behalf of its staff in each year since 2005; and what the cost to the public purse was in each such year. [13300]
Alistair Burt:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) would normally expect all its staff to pay any transport-related fines without recourse to public funds.
Budgets in the FCO are devolved to individual directorates within the UK and its network of over 250 posts overseas. As a result, this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Motor Vehicles
Pete Wishart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the expenditure on vehicles of (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible was in each region in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is in each case for 2010-11. [12482]
Alistair Burt:
FCO Services operates a UK based fleet of vehicles on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Total expenditure in each of the last three financial years was as follows:
7 Sep 2010 : Column 472W
£
2007/08
167,835
2008/09
33,543
2009/10
(1)461,320
(1) £244,000 funded by the Low-Carbon Technology Fund within the Department for Energy and Climate Change to support the FCO's 10:10 commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 10% in 2010
Expenditure in the current financial year (2010/11) is £38,865, and there are currently no plans for further expenditure during 2010/11.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in (a) May and (b) June 2010. [10113]
Alistair Burt:
The total spend for Ministers on Government hospitality was:
(a) May 2010-£356.49
(b) June 2010-£233.96
These figures are based on services used and paid for in the months of May and June.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Mr Redwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many temporary staff are employed by (a) his Department and (b) British embassies and consulates. [12139]
Alistair Burt:
As of 1 July 2010 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employed 215 staff directly on temporary contracts of 12 months or less in the UK. This figure does not include agency staff, specialist contractors, interim managers and consultants who do not have direct contracts of employment with the FCO, as we are currently compiling data on these categories of workers. I will update my right hon. Friend when this exercise is complete.
To compile detailed information on temporary staff at our 258 posts overseas would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Training
Stewart Hosie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such course. [13299]
Alistair Burt:
In the last financial year (2009-10) Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff attended a range of external course-that is courses designed and provided outside the FCO. Some of these were paid for centrally, and others were sourced and paid for on an individual basis by FCO teams and posts in response to their specific business needs.
The Human Resources Directorate of the FCO centrally funded three main external programmes: the Open University Scheme which cost about £345,000 for about 115 staff; Advanced Apprenticeships which cost about 7 Sep 2010 : Column 473W
£1,365 for seven staff to attend; and a number of the National School of Government's courses to the cost of about £22,000 for 12 staff. This makes a total of £368,365.
It would incur a disproportionate cost to provide details of external training courses procured by directorates other than Human Resources as this information is not held centrally.
Hezbollah
Ian Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the (a) number and (b) range of Hezbollah's missiles. [12692]
Alistair Burt:
We are concerned by recent reports of weapons transfers to Hezbollah, including Hezbollah's own claims that it possesses significant military capabilities. We do not have specific figures but assess that since the end of the 2006 Lebanon conflict Hezbollah has replenished its holdings of short- and long-range rockets and missiles.
Ian Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of Hezbollah members (a) in Lebanon and (b) who have been trained in Iran. [12693]
Alistair Burt:
We do not have definite figures but Hezbollah has a significant number of members within Lebanon. Open sources indicate anywhere between 10,000 and 200,000 party members, however no distinctions are made between potential Hezbollah fighters, paid party members or Hezbollah party affiliates.
We do not have any numbers for Hezbollah members who have been trained in Iran.
Ian Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on Hezbollah's military capability in southern Lebanon. [12961]
Alistair Burt:
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have regular discussions with our EU counterparts on the situation in the middle east and will raise Hezbollah if or when necessary.
Iran: Prisoners
Jeremy Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent discussions he has had with the Iranian Government on the imprisonment of Reza Shahabi; [12737]
(2) if he will take steps to secure the release of Reza Shahabi from imprisonment in Iran. [12739]
Alistair Burt:
I raised the case of Reza Shahabi of the Tehran Bus Workers Union with the Iranian ambassador on 18 August. I also raised the case of his colleague, Saeed Torabian. I expressed concern at their detention and asked the Iranian ambassador to provide further details of why the individuals had been detained and on what charges.
Jeremy Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has responded to representation from Amnesty International on the imprisonment of Reza Shahabi. [12738]
7 Sep 2010 : Column 474W
Alistair Burt:
We are aware of the representations from Amnesty International about the case of Reza Shahabi. I raised the case of Reza Shahabi of the Tehran Bus Workers Union with the Iranian ambassador on 18 August. I also raised the case of his colleague, Saeed Torabian. I expressed concern at their detention and asked the Iranian ambassador to provide further details of why the individuals had been detained and on what charges.
Iran: Uranium
Ian Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Israeli, (b) US, (c) Egyptian, (d) EU and (e) Jordanian counterpart on Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium. [12968]
Alistair Burt:
The UK maintains a regular dialogue with our key allies and regional partners on this issue.
The latest report from the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran was discussed at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in June 2010. The report indicated that Iran has produced 2,427 kg of low enriched uranium (LEU), enriched to less than 5%. The report also states that Iran has produced 5.7 kg of LEU enriched to just under 20%. This is a significant step towards the ability to enrich to weapons grade levels.
The UK continues to implement the dual-track approach to the Iranian nuclear programme, the objective of which is to achieve a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue. The UK has been in regular discussions with the EU over the implementation of sanctions against Iran that go above and beyond those sanctions agreed in UN Security Council Resolution 1929.
Israel: Overseas Trade
Mr Slaughter:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects of changes to access arrangements for workers and goods entering or leaving Gaza since the announcements of Prime Minister Netanyahu on 20 June and 5 July 2010. [11998]
Alistair Burt:
According to the UN, a total of 1,048 truckloads of goods entered Gaza in the week beginning 15 August 2010, compared to 573 trucks for the week beginning 6 June 2010.
Despite the increase of imports into the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, ongoing restrictions on the entry of construction materials, as well as on exports, continue to hamper major reconstruction and development projects.
The UK, together with the EU and Quartet, will continue to press Israel to increase the capacity of the crossings for imports and exports and to allow the movement of people which are all vital to alleviate the dire situation in Gaza.
Libya
Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department 7 Sep 2010 : Column 475W
have had with their Libyan counterparts in the last 12 months; and what matters were discussed at those meetings. [12304]
Alistair Burt:
Since becoming Minister for Middle East and North Africa, I have met the Libyan Europe Minister, Abdulati al-Obidi and the Libyan Minister for Public Security, General Abd al-Fatah Younis al-Obidi. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has spoken to the Libyan Foreign Minister, Musa Kusa by telephone. We both discussed UK-Libya relations, including issues relating to our difficult past, such as the importance of restarting the stalled investigation into the unlawful killing of WPC Yvonne Fletcher.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in Tripoli and in London have regular contact with their Libyan counterparts to discuss issues of mutual interest, such as co-operation on migration and counter-terrorism.
UN Security Council
Mr Bain:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the policy of his Department is on the addition of (a) India, (b) Brazil, (c) Germany and (d) Japan as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. [13244]
Mr Bellingham:
The Government support permanent seats on a reformed UN Security Council for Japan, India, Germany and Brazil as well as African representation. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in his speech at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 1 July 2010 'this Government will be at the forefront of those arguing for the expansion of the UN Security Council'. The Government consider that the Security Council needs to be reformed to ensure it is more representative of the modern world whilst no less effective in taking necessary decisions.
Justice
Care Proceedings
Caroline Flint:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many care orders have been issued in England in each of the last five years. [12743]
Mr Djanogly:
The following table shows the number of children made subject to a care order, in all tiers of court of England, in each year from 2004 to 2008, the last year for which figures have been published.
The number of children made subject to a care order in all tiers of court, England, 2004 to 2008
Number
2004
7,180
2005
6,490
2006
6,650
2007
7,020
2008
6,530
Statistics on public law disposals for England and Wales are published on an annual basis by the Ministry of Justice in the statistical report 'Judicial and Court Statistics'. Statistics for 2009 are due to be published in 7 Sep 2010 : Column 476W
the next edition on 23 September 2010, and will be available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
Andrew Gwynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress the Government have made in the implementation of those recommendations of the Eighth Report of the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, Session 2001-02, HC 91, on cemeteries which it accepted. [12046]
Mr Djanogly:
We are currently considering what further steps might be taken in response to the Committee's recommendations. In particular, we are reviewing the case for re-using old cemeteries and updating the existing legislation. I will write to the hon. Member with details of the action that has been taken to date.
Closed Circuit Television: Prisons
Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department provides to prisons on the (a) use and (b) regulations governing the use of closed circuit television cameras in visiting areas. [12417]
Mr Blunt:
Prisons may use CCTV systems overtly to monitor activity in visiting and other areas for reasons of security. Their use is governed by a number of National Offender Management Service policy documents including those that provide advice and guidance to staff on the Data Protection Act, prisoner communications, information management, searching, and visits.
Prisons may also use CCTV for covert surveillance subject to meeting the requirements for directed surveillance set out in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
Courts
Jonathan Lord:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which magistrates courts in England had a utilisation rate of above 80 per cent. in 2009-10; and what the average time taken to complete a case was at those courts in that period; [12917]
(2) what the average time taken to complete a case was in England in 2009-10. [12918]
Mr Djanogly:
In 2009-10 there were 44 magistrates courts in England with a utilisation rate of above 80%. Courtroom utilisation is the time a courtroom is used, against the hours that a courtroom is available for use. These courts are listed with the utilisation rate in the following table.
The table also shows the estimated average times from the date an offence was committed to the date a case was completed in a magistrates court, for criminal cases in these magistrates courts during 2009-10. These figures are sourced from the quarterly Time Interval Survey.
7 Sep 2010 : Column 477W
The estimated average time taken from the date an offence was committed to the date of completion for criminal cases across all magistrates courts in England in 2009-10 was 141 days.
Table 1: Magistrates courts utilisation rate and estimated average time from offence to completion for all defendants in all criminal cases in England, for courts with a utilisation rate over 80% in 2009-10
Magistrates courts
Utilisation rate (%)
Estimated average number of days from offence to completion
Aylesbury
87
156
Banbury
85
178
Basingstoke
81
107
Blackpool
92
122
Bristol
84
98
Camberwell Green
84
85
City of London
92
159
City of Westminster
115
167
Crawley
87
135
Ealing
82
109
Gateshead
86
104
Greenwich
85
141
Harrow
97
173
Hatfield
118
(1)-
Hendon
89
155
Leicester
84
137
Luton
83
143
Maidstone
93
241
Newcastle Upon Tyne
90
137
Newton Aycliffe
81
98
North Tyneside
81
106
Northallerton
94
138
Northwich
80
179
Nuneaton
91
123
Preston
86
118
Reading
83
154
Redhill
80
133
Richmond Upon Thames
80
166
Scunthorpe
91
110
Sevenoaks
83
177
Sittingbourne
82
183
Slough
102
116
South East Northumberland
90
126
South Western
82
214
Stratford Upon Avon
90
128
Thames
101
109
Thanet (Margate)
94
75
Torquay
81
147
7 Sep 2010 : Column 478W
Uxbridge
94
136
Walsall
81
102
West London
93
118
Wimbledon
84
146
All magistrates courts in England with a utilisation rate above 80%
141
(1 )Figures not shown due to low sample sizes. Notes:
1. Statistics on the estimated average time from offence to completion are counted by defendant, rather than by case. Where a case involves more than one defendant, each defendant is counted separately.
2. The working assumption is that a courtroom is available 25 hours per week (five hours per weekday). These data come from an internal management system. The data are subject to our minimal levels of quality assurance and are based on the data currently available.
3. Utilisation rates of over 100% are possible when the actual number of hours used are higher than the standard availability for the period. Source:
Courtroom Utilisation (Magistrates) and the magistrates courts Time Intervals Survey, HM Courts Service Performance Database ('OPT').
Courts: Sentencing
Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) on how many and what proportion of occasions the maximum sentence for an offence was given in (a) crown courts and (b) magistrates courts in the latest year for which figures are available; [12390]
(2) what the average length was of a sentence handed down for each offence by each court in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available. [12395]
Mr Blunt:
The number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody, the maximum permissible sentence (estimated) and the immediate custodial sentence length is provided for both magistrates courts and the crown court is shown in the following tables.
Few offenders receive a maximum sentence for an indictable offence at magistrates courts as the statutory maximum for most offences lies outside the jurisdiction of a magistrate.
Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned for publication on 21 October 2010
Persons sentenced to immediate custody by court, average custodial sentence length and number of maximum permissible sentences used( 1)( , )( 2,)()( 3)
Offence group
Total immediate custody
Average cust odial sentence length (months)( 4)
Number of maximum sentences given( 5)
Percentage of sentences where maximum sentence is given
Total immediate custody
Average custodial sentence length (months)( 4)
Number of maximum sentences given
Percentage of sentences where maximum sentence is given
Violence Against Person
3,745
4.0
-
-
9,635
23.0
496
5.1
Sexual Offences
169
4.0
-
-
2,835
46.7
39
1.4
7 Sep 2010 : Column 479W
7 Sep 2010 : Column 480W
Burglary
3,304
4.2
-
-
6,656
24.1
0
0.0
Robbery
481
8.4
-
-
4,614
35.3
2
0.0
Theft and Handling
16,947
2.1
-
-
4,061
11.7
3
0.1
Fraud and Forgery
926
2.8
-
-
4,740
12.3
4
0.1
Criminal Damage
473
2.3
-
-
684
24.7
3
0.4
Drug Offences
1,293
2.5
-
-
8,195
37.5
32
0.4
Indictable Motoring
269
4.9
1
0.4
1,133
10.5
6
0.5
Other Indictable (Not Motoring)
3,656
1.9
4
0.1
5,242
17.4
31
0.6
Total
31,263
2.7
5
0.0
47,795
25.1
616
1.3
Summary Non-Motoring
12,964
2.6
975
7.5
1,125
3.3
211
18.8
Summary Motoring
6,121
3.2
469
7.7
257
3.3
33
12.8
All offences
50,348
2.7
1,449
2.9
49,177
24.5
860
1.7
(1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008. (4) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. (5) Few people receive a maximum sentence for an indictable offence at a magistrates court as the statutory maximum for most offences lies outside the jurisdiction of a magistrate Note:
0.0% - Means less than 0.05% Source:
Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.
Departmental Billing
Stewart Hosie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in July and August 2010. [13289]
Mr Djanogly:
The percentages of payments made within 10 days to all suppliers for the months of July and August 2010 are:
Percentage
July 2010
93
August 2010
93
Departmental Consultants
John McDonnell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what external (a) agencies and (b) consultancies are undertaking work commissioned by his Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost to the public purse is of each piece of work commissioned. [12905]
Mr Blunt:
The following tables show details of live contracts for consultancy services and the provision of specialist contractors and interim managers via agencies.
In addition the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) contracts for the provision of temporary clerical, administrative and ancillary staff with the following agencies. The monetary value specified against each agency relates to the aggregate value of spend for quarter 1 of the 2010-11 financial year.
Temporary clerical and administrative
£
Brook Street UK Ltd.
2,406,792
Office Angels Ltd.
509,644
Employment Plus Ltd.
70,891
Hays Specialist Recruitment
822,307
Temporary ancillary (non clerical and administrative)
